HP Photosmart digital camera features explained (FAQ)

How many megapixels should my camera have?

How much should I expect to pay for an HP digital camera?

• The HP Photosmart E-series cameras are perfect for the beginner and incredibly affordable at around $100. With 5 megapixels (MP), they're ideal for snapshots, or posting to the Web. But you won't have the creative control that you would with a full-featured model.
  

• The HP Photosmart M-series cameras ($100 to $200) offer all the ease-of-use of the E-series, but include more in-camera features like red-eye removal and some special artistic effects such as borders and colors.
  

• The HP Photosmart R-series cameras are the most advanced ($150 to $300). These cameras come with more of everything—a more powerful zoom, larger image displays, additional artistic effects. And some even have advanced capabilities such as manual controls, pet-eye fix, photo touch-up, red-eye removal, and panorama stitching. The HP Photosmart R937 digital camera even has an interactive touchscreen.
  

How much memory do I need?

What's the difference between optical and digital zoom? What's total zoom?

• Optical zoom is how far your camera's lens can physically extend from the camera body (its focal length). Optical zoom allows you to get closer to your subject without physically getting closer. Also, optical zoom gets you closer without your photo getting blocky or pixelated.
  
  
• Digital zoom picks up where optical zoom leaves off by stretching your camera's pixels to make a photo look bigger. It's the same thing as cropping a photo and enlarging it, but its done right in the camera. The benefit to digital zoom is that it can get you much closer than optical zoom, but the result may be a lower quality photo.
  
  
• Total zoom is calculated by multiplying the optical zoom by the digital zoom. For example:
  
  3x optical   x   8x digital   =   24x total zoom
  
  

What other features should I look for in an HP digital camera?

• Panoramic stitching
  
  Some R-series HP digital cameras offer in-camera panoramic stitching—a feature that fuses up to five single shots together to create one seamless image-right in your camera.
  
  

• HP Design Gallery
  
  Choose from several artistic effects such as slimming, colors and borders, kaleidoscope (seen here), retro, and more—and apply them right to photos in your camera.
  
  

• In-camera red-eye removal
  
  All HP cameras now offer in-camera red-eye removal which quickly and easily finds and removes red-eye from your pictures.
  
  

• Adaptive lighting
  
  All HP R-series and some M-series cameras now have Adaptive lighting, a breakthrough technology that helps HP cameras deal with high contrast scenes without losing detail in shadows or bright areas.
  
  

What is image stabilization, and is it important?

What are shooting modes?

• Auto Mode lets the camera do all the work. Good for quick shots on the fly.
  
  
• Landscape ensures that pictures of far away subjects are breathtakingly sharp.
  
  
• Portrait focuses on subjects closer up, leaving the background less detailed.
  
  
• Action uses a fast shutter speed to capture movement without blurring your photo.
  
  
• Burst allows you to capture several shots in succession. Ideal for sporting events.
  
  
• Sunset improves the saturation of sunset colors and retains the warmth of the scene.
  

• Aperture Priority allows you to choose the aperture you want, while your camera determines the best shutter speed.
• Shutter Priority allows you to choose the shutter speed you want, while the camera determines the best aperture.
• Manual lets you set both the aperture and shutter speed manually.
• ISO allows you to choose your camera's sensitivity to light.
• My Mode allows you to save your own custom configuration.

Which cameras capture video, and can I make prints from video?

What accessories do I need for my digital camera?

• Dock
  
  Docks are a great investment. They charge your camera's batteries, and let you quickly transfer photos to your computer or HP printer.
  

• Extra battery
  
  Even though HP digital cameras let you take hundreds of pictures per charge, carrying a little extra juice is always a good idea.
  

• Memory card
  
  Flash memory cards come in several capacities, from 128 Megabytes to 4 Gigabytes. See Question 3: "How much memory do I need?" for more information.
  

• Camera carrying case
  
  Pick from several models to fit your camera and express your personal style.
  

Does it matter what type of battery the camera uses?

What software comes with my camera?

How do I get prints from a digital camera?

• Print at home using an HP Photosmart printer and HP Premium Plus photo paper. Many HP Photosmart printers include memory card slots, LCD screens, photo proof sheets and other features that are ideal for photo printing. This is the fast and easy way to print lab-quality photos at home—no computer required.
  
  Or, print on the go with an HP Photosmart compact printer. They're small enough to take to a party, a game, or wherever you go!
  

• Get prints online with Snapfish, a service of HP. Order prints, cards, and other keepsakes—all featuring your photos and delivered to your door. Online photo albums are also a convenient way to share your pictures on the Web. All you do is upload the photos and invite family and friends to see—you decide who can view them. Snapfish will send an e-mail link to your photos. You can also pick up Snapfish prints at any Walgreen's.